Highly Efficient Fuel Cell

The Invention The new type of fuel cell utilizes a unique nano-porous proton conducting membrane and improved fuel cell components including improved anodic and cathodic catalysts, membrane electrode assembly and bipolar plates with flow fields for both solution and gas. A hydrogen/bromine cell was built with a record high power density of 1.3 W/cm2 (vs less than 0.25 W/cm2 for conventional H/Br fuel cells. These fuel cells are an enabling technology for efficient storage of inconstant engery sources such as wind and solar power Potential Applications In order to be commercially viable, Alternative Energy sources, which by their nature are inconstant, require the possibility to store generated energy and release it when the source is unavailable. Today such systems are very expensive and very large. In effect, the limiting factor in more widespread use of wind and solar power are the energy storage and power leveling systems. Today, the production of solar cells is greater than 500MW per year, meaning a need of 8 million kWh of storage per year (based on 8 hour charge/16 hour discharge cycle). With wind power and photovoltaic making great strides, it is expected that the world market for storage systems will be in the multibillion dollar range within ten years Advantages State of the art fuel cells using NafionTM as the membrane suffer from water leakage from the cathode building up unwanted pressure and removing the liquid fuel. The new type of developed fuel cell utilizes a unique nano-porous proton conducting membrane sandwiched between an anode layer and a cathode layer and includes a system which prevents or substantially reduces the water leak from the cell. The system prevents or substantially reduces the water leak from the cell. A commercially viable fuel cell will consist of a stack with at least twice the power per volume and weight, more efficient (lower internal impedance and higher current efficiency and subsequently lower cost than state of the art systems. The system is amenable to different combinations of electrodes and electrolytes, such that an optimum set can be utilized Patent US, European and Japanese patents granted

Inventor(s): Emanuel Peled

Type of Offer: Licensing



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